Update: For those who missed out on Michael Shermer’s talk, you can watch the video here:

The video is also available on the Melbourne Graduate School of Science YouTube channel, and at the Live@Melbourne website.

His book, The Believing Brain, is available at bookshops including The Melbourne University Bookshop, Embiggen Books and Readings.

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For those not in the know, Dr Michael Shermer is one of the world’s leading science writers, skeptics and critical thinkers. His website bio lists him as the Founding Publisher of Skeptic magazine, the Executive Director of the Skeptics Society, a monthly columnist for Scientific American, the host of the Skeptics Distinguished Science Lecture Series at Caltech, and Adjunct Professor at Claremont Graduate University.

In Melbourne this September to speak at the Think Inc science and rationalism conference, Dr Shermer will present a public lecture at the University of Melbourne on “The Believing Brain: How we construct beliefs and reinforce them as truths”.

In his talk, Dr Shermer will present his comprehensive and provocative theory on how humans form beliefs about the world. He will answer the questions of how and why we believe what we do in all aspects of our lives, from our suspicions and superstitions to our politics, economics and social beliefs.

Drawing on 30 years of research, Dr Shermer will explain the neurophysiology of belief system construction at the single neuron level, and then reconstruct, from the bottom up, how our brains form beliefs. He will explain how these cognitive processes evolved, what purpose they served in the lives of our ancestors, and what purpose they serve in our lives today. Dr Shermer will demonstrate why science is the best tool to determine whether or not a belief matches reality.

Date: Monday 19 September 2011
Time: 6.00pm-7.00pm
Venue: Copland Theatre, Arts West (Building 148)
Admission is free.
Please register to attend this public lecture.

For enquiries and more information please contact Robyn Trethowan at rtret@unimelb.edu.au or on 8344 4392.

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The Think Inc science and rationalism conference will be held on 18 September 2011. Speakers include: astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson, journalist Christopher Hitchens (also known as one of the Four Horsemen of New Atheism), environmental scientist Tim Flannery, author and activist Ayaan Hirsi Ali, and social justice advocate Father Bob Maguire. For more on the conference and to buy tickets visit: www.thinkinc.org.au

Over two billion people – about a third of the world’s population – suffer from iron deficiency. Compounding this problem is the fact that most of the developing world depends on white rice, which is very low in iron, as a primary source of food.

In this interview with Radio National, Dr Alex Johnson from the School of Botany talks about his team’s efforts to develop iron-fortified rice. In a world-first, Dr Johnson and his team have genetically engineered white rice to increase its iron concentration by 400%.

• Listen to the interview with Dr Alex Johnson on Radio National.

The researchers were able to target the gene responsible for picking up iron in the rice plant, and used biotechnology to lift activity in that particular gene.

Having made this breakthrough in laboratory and greenhouse environments, the next phase of this research is to test the iron-fortified rice plants in the field.

The team’s research was funded by the Australian Research Council and the HarvestPlus Challenge Program.

Read more about this breakthrough at the HarvestPlus website.
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Professor Dame Julia Higgins (Imperial College, London) was introduced to the new experimental use of neutron scattering as a doctoral student, and fortunate to be at the frontline as new techniques for exploiting the neutron have been developed.

A thread running through her scientific career has been the successful application of a number of these techniques to understanding the organisation and behaviour of long polymer molecules.

In this public lecture, Professor Dame Higgins will outline the basis of the techniques and their relevance to fundamental questions in polymer science.

Date: Wednesday 9 November 2011
Time: 5.30pm
Venue: Elisabeth Murdoch Theatre

For enquiries and more information contact Robyn Trethowan on rtret@unimelb.edu.au
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Update: Dan Dennett’s thought-provoking public lecture, ‘The Evolution of Purposes’, was delivered to a full house at the Carillo Gantner Theatre, The University of Melbourne on 15 November 2011. You can watch the video here:

The video is also available on the Melbourne Graduate School of Science YouTube channel, and at the Live@Melbourne website.

We also have a few photos from the night. If you were at the lecture and took some photos, please share them with us via Facebook, Twitter or email!

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It’s been an exciting few months for us here at Science Matters and the Faculty of Science. First we had Lawrence Krauss talk about Richard Feynman. Then we had Michael Shermer discuss ‘The Believing Brain’. Now, to round out this impressive trifecta, we have Daniel Dennett here to speak about the evolution of purposes.

Oft referred to as one of the “Four Horsemen of New Atheism”, Professor Daniel Dennett is a renowned philosopher and cognitive scientist, and the author of Darwin’s Dangerous Idea (1995). He is also Co-Director of the Center for Cognitive Studies at Tufts University.

In Melbourne to speak at the Creative Innovation 2011 conference, Professor Dennett will give a public lecture on ‘The Evolution of Purposes’ at the University of Melbourne.

In his talk, Professor Dennett will ponder the following:

Before there was life on Earth, there were no purposes, no reasons. Things just happened. How could purposes emerge from such purposeless conditions?

Looking back at the evolution of life on the planet, we can now see – if only dimly – the patterns that led to the exquisite functional organizations of matter that living forms exhibit. We human beings are the only living things that can represent these reasons, and comprehend them, but that does not make them illusory.

Date: Tuesday 15 November 2011
Time: 6.30pm-7.30pm
Venue: Carillo Gantner Theatre, Sidney Myer Asia Centre
Admission is free.
Seating is limited so please ensure you register to attend this public lecture.

For enquiries and more information please contact Robyn Trethowan at rtret@unimelb.edu.au or on 8344 4392.

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The Creative Innovation 2011 conference will be held in Melbourne from 16-18 November 2011. This year’s theme is ‘The challenges and opportunities of a super-connected world’. Speakers include: leading creative thinker Dr Edward de Bono, inventor and entrepreneur Raymond Kurzweil, Microsoft Australia MD Pip Marlow, Graincorp CEO Alison Watkins, Australian of the Year Simon McKeon, and Laureate Professor – School of Botany, University of Melbourne Professor Adrienne Clarke AC.

For more on the conference and to buy tickets visit: www.creativeinnovationglobal.com.au

The newly elected Victorian Fellows of the Australian Academy of Science, together with the Anton Hales medal winner, will give brief presentations on their work. This symposium, of special interest to students and scientists of all ages and fields, is open to the public.

Speakers from the University of Melbourne’s Faculty of Science are Professor Frances Separovic (Head of the School of Chemistry) and Anton Hales medal winner Dr Todd Lane (School of Earth Sciences).

Date: Thursday, 7 June 2012
Time: 6.00—7.30 pm
Venue: Law School Theatre, 185 Pelham Street (Melway Map 871, R9)
The University of Melbourne.

Admission is free.
For enquires contact Robyn Trethowan at rtret@unimelb.edu.au or 8344 4392

List of speakers:
Professor James McCluskey FAA (Microbiology & Immunology, University of Melbourne)
Genetic control of the immune response

Professor Francis Carbone FAA (Microbiology & Immunology, University of Melbourne)
Immunity at body surfaces

Professor John Endler FAA (Centre for Integrative Ecology, Deakin University)
Visual effects and animal diversity

Dr Graeme Moad FAA (CSIRO Division of Materials Science and Engineering)
Polymer design and synthesis

Professor Frances Separovic FAA (Chemistry, University of Melbourne)
Killer molecules, toxins and cells

Professor Jane Visvader FAA (Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research)
Breast stem cells and implications for breast cancer

Dr Todd Lane (Earth Sciences, University of Melbourne) – Anton Hales Medallist
Thunderstorms, waves and turbulence

Last week was National Volunteer Week – a week to celebrate volunteers and volunteerism in Australia. Science academics and students at the University join over 6 million Australians who volunteer.

We would like to particularly recognise the academics and students at the University of Melbourne who work with primary and secondary school teachers to boost science and maths participation in schools through programs like Scientists in Schools and In2science – peer mentoring program.

The effect of sustained decline in students continuing maths and science subjects in years 11 and 12 means that there are less graduates from science/engineering degrees*, less science-trained secondary school teachers, and an increasingly smaller group of local role models left to inspire the next generation of scientists.

Thus contextualised, it is easy to understand why the governments locally and federally are working with schools, universities and local communities to boost engagement and participation rates in science. And programs that increase the number of touch points between young Australians and positive science role models are central to improving this track record.

It is in this spirit that academics and university students alike find the time to visit local schools to pass on their passion for science in exciting, meaningful (and occasionally explosive) ways!

The list is too long to publish, but you know who you are and we applaud you.

*science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) degrees, especially in areas of physics, chemistry and higher mathematics. The definition of STEM varies depending on country/organisation but in Australia generally follows the Australian Standard Classification for Education for post-school qualifications.

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If you would like to get involved:

Scientists in Schools program: www.scientistsinschools.edu.au

In2science – peer mentoring in schools program: www.in2science.org.au

Rice is a staple food and one of the most consumed cereal grains in developing countries, providing up to 80% of total caloric intake in parts of the world like South-East Asia. Yet the polished grain – or white rice – has very low concentrations of essential micronutrients like iron. Over two billion people, or30% of the world’s population, suffer from iron deficiency.

In this podcast Dr Alex Johnson, a plant molecular biologist at the School of Botany, The University of Melbourne, talks about his work on increasing the nutritional value of cereal crops. His lab is using biotechnology to create new cereal varieties that contain higher concentrations of iron, an approach known as “biofortification”.

• Listen to the podcast on UpClose

Professor Barbara Howlett from the School of Botany has been elected a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science.

Prof Howlett is one of the academy’s 21 newly elected Fellows, joining her University of Melbourne colleagues Prof Ivan Marusic (Department of Mechanical Engineering) and Prof Ingrid Scheffer (Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health).

Academy President Suzanne Cory congratulated the new Fellows for their achievements and contributions to scientific research.

“All of these scientists are doing amazing and significant work in their chosen fields – they are the Olympic athletes of science,” she said.

Prof Howlett was nominated for her research in fungal plant pathology, which has improved the understanding of disease resistance. Her research into the blackleg fungus has also had a major impact on the canola industry in Australia.

Professor Howlett acknowledged the work of her colleagues.

“I am very fortunate to lead a multidisciplinary team with laboratory and field –based skills, which we use to tackle practical issues for farmers,” she said.

The team is now applying its expertise on a national scale to predict and minimise disease losses in canola.

Read the full media release.
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Read more about Barbara’s research: http://voice.unimelb.edu.au/volume-10/number-3/defending-canola-fungus

Main image: Peter Casamento

Organic electronics pioneer Professor Andrew Holmes has been appointed the Australian Academy of Science’s new President.

Prof Holmes succeeds Prof Suzanne Cory to be the 18th president of the Academy. Past presidents include nuclear physicist Sir Mark Oliphant and Sir Gus Nossal.

He has been recognised for his groundbreaking work on light-emitting polymers that play an important role in the emerging field of flexible electronics, with applications in flat screen televisions and solar cells.

Prof Holmes said it was “an honour to succeed Prof Suzanne Cory who has done so much for Australian science and the Academy”.

“At this crucial time, it is essential to recognise the role of science and technology for wealth creation and improved productivity”.

This distinction adds to Prof Holmes’ recent appointment as Melbourne Laureate Professor Emeritus at the University’s Bio21 Institute.

Prof Holmes is one of Australia’s most respected scientists. He was awarded an Order of Australia in 2004, and is the recipient of the Royal Society’s Royal Medal and Descartes Prize. Elected to the Academy in 2006, he has served as Foreign Secretary since 2010. Prof Holmes is also a Fellow of the Royal Society of London, a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering and a CSIRO Fellow at CSIRO Materials Science and Engineering.

Read the full media release.

Excellent news for the Faculty of Science from last weeks Eureka awards, when Dr. Joëlle Gergis from The University of Melbourne’s School of Earth Sciences and the SEARCH (South-East Australia Recent Climate History) team won the prestigious 2014 University of New South Wales Eureka Prize for Excellence in Interdisciplinary Scientific Research.

In a landmark project funded by an ARC Linkage grant, Dr. Gergis brought together researchers from a wide range of disciplines, including climate scientists, water managers and historians – as well as volunteer citizen scientists.

Together the researchers reconstructed Australia’s climate record beyond the beginning of weather records in 1900, using palaeoclimate records such as tree rings and ice cores, historical data including newspaper articles and governor records, and early weather data.

The first study of it’s kind in Australia, it is hoped that this exciting research will give us a better understanding of Australia’s climate for the last 1000 years.

“Understanding our climatic past will help us better plan for future climate change,” said Dr. Gergis.

We are very excited to see researchers from different disciplines coming together to work towards a common goal. Congratulation Joëlle and the rest of the SEARCH team!

Check out the short video about the project here.